Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Tyler,
Jul 26, 2015

Rating

They didn’t build in any tools to correct database problems in the Mac version. And they don’t seem to care. The sync keeps breaking. The relationship tool is a mess. The workaround to to keep downloading the Ancestry tree back down to the Mac.

It is useful for mass merges and location correction but that is what breaks the sync.

Biggest Pro: More tools than AncestryBiggest Con: It’s broken.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Jack Kelly,
Jul 10, 2015

RatingNot Rated

I’m on my Eighth reload of my tree and the work involved in constantly fixing this is maddening. I have had nothing but issues with FTM for Mac 3 and it is less than a beta release of crap software.

Now my program refuses to go online.

Biggest Con: Instability of code and constant crashing.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by R Woodruff,
Jun 19, 2015

Rating

Crashes every 5-10 minutes. Used to ask if I wanted to restart, but as of this morning it no longer asks. What is going on? I’m sincerely concerned about the 15+ years of data that I have compiled.

Biggest Pro: NoneBiggest Con: Crashes every 10-15 minutes

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Barbara Smith,
Jun 7, 2015

Rating

This is a dreadful piece of software which should never have been released. Extremely unstable, even when you follow all recommendations for backups and file compaction. (1) In the last 6 months, my ftm mac 3 has (with no warning or reason) suddenly decided my trees are no longer linked to corresponding synced trees on ancestry.com (2) Repeated requests for help only result in suggestions you clean cache and cookies (duh, check that first) and that you must back up trees regularly as well as compact files. Since I already do that every single time I open a tree plus again before I close it, that seems like useless advice. Ancestry will not admit there is anything at all wrong with the program–trust me. If you buy this program, when (note I said WHEN not IF) you start having trouble, you will not get any help at all. (3) Trying to find duplicate people is a true waste of time. You would think people with the same name, birth and death dates and parents should show up in duplicate list, right? No. Sorry. I have no idea what criteria if any are used. (4) I could go on, but why bother.

Biggest Pro: It does sync trees when it is not crashing or unlinking them.Biggest Con: Very unstable

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Kathy P,
Jun 1, 2015

Rating

Three months ago FTM did an ‘upgrade’ and they deleted all of the media on my tree. The media remained in a previous back up. They told me to check each piece to return it to my tree. I have worked for three months making frequent calls for assistance and have regained my tree with it’s 26,000 pieces of media. Some missing photo’s I will need to add from my storage. The helpers explained to me that when they did the ‘upgrade’ a ’small number of people lost their media’. They did not offer to assist me and I only stuck with it because I had done so much work to that point.

Biggest Pro: Great design, capable of designing a tree with complex overlap of ancesters, ambitiousBiggest Con: When things do not go well they are politely impervious; when not working it is infuriating

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Christine MF,
May 31, 2015

Rating

I started with FTM, then FTM2 and now FTM3, not happy with it at all, when opening I get a message stating FTM3 quite unexpectedly do I want to reopen. usually have to shut down and try again and again. Also issue with syncing and a lot of duplication of information and names. Takes more time to correct than it does to research. I have spoken to help support without success.

Biggest Pro: Looks good on first impressionsBiggest Con: too many issues unresolved, syncing, crashing on opening and duplication.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by John S,
May 31, 2015

Rating

FTM3 has problems that Ancestry does not want to admit or address. Their in-window direct search using Ancestry, does not work at times. FTM3 cannot find the correct census, I know because I have a paper copy of the page from that census year. The Ancestry Help will tell you that the Census for that year is off-line and that you should try later. If you do get search results, sometimes the census information is only attached to the head of family and no one else. You have to manually insert each record to the other persons in the family.

Searching directly on Ancestry you may find the record but adding to your Ancestry file. However, returning to your FTM3 file you will find that you cannot synch because it says that the Ancestry file has been deleted but checking back your Ancestry file is still there. Ancestry does not have a Tech line to correct their database, so they will never correct errors of get back to you with an update.

Trying to upload or download either Ancestry or FTM3 files are a nightmare with duplicate everything in the one your transferring too. I have spent many hours correcting the duplications in the FTM3. I think I will be using Familysearch.org for my genealogy files.

Biggest Pro: Lot if bells and whistles, if they work.Biggest Con: Difficult to learn, inaccurate searches and unable to synch

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Nancy Welch,
May 25, 2015

Rating

I used FTM and then FTM 2 and loved it. When I got a new Mac I decided to upgrade to the FTM3 - I downloaded it from the website and wouldn’t run - long story but Customer Service couldn’t figure it out. I then bought the CD and tried it that way - Still won’t work. It opens for about 5 sec and then crashes. I have spent hours!! on the phone with out resolution - and no offer for a refund. I absolutely loved the program before upgrading….wish I could just go back in time.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Betty,
May 16, 2015

Rating

I have successfully used FTM windows versions for many years, [started when owned by Broderbund]. In 2015, I purchased a Mac and the mac version - FTM3. My attempts to convert my files from PC to Mac have been a total waste of time and money. Downloaded tree from Ancestry create many duplicate individuals, source citations were not transferred. Hopefully, I’ll find a Mac version of genealogy software that will read my windows version FTM files. I do not need to sync with Ancestry as I prefer to enter data manually.

Biggest Pro: I have not found anything to recommend this program.Biggest Con: Problems when converting files from GEDCOM and Ancestry.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Frances Davies,
May 12, 2015

Rating

After moving from Acer Vista to Apple Macbook Pro, I purchased the Apple version of Ancestry F.Tree maker. My previous data was transferred but because I had updated my mac laptop to Yosemite the whole thing does not work and an expensive purchase was completely useless! Nothing could be done on it at all so I am faced with buying a new family tree maker. I feel very let down by Apple!

Biggest Pro: NoneBiggest Con: Failure to sync with Ancestry

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by P Dorrington,
May 6, 2015

Rating

If only I had read all the awful reviews before buying an Apple Mac( good) for the first time and then buying Family Tree Maker for Mac. Years of using Family Tree Maker and making four extensive trees and appreciating the improvements in the program over the years and thinking the mac version would be as good. How wrong I was. I have stopped using it.

Biggest Pro: NoneBiggest Con: Ah!

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Roger,
Apr 13, 2015

Rating

I can make the SW crash by Reviewing Hints in the Web Search and then clicking People.
And then there are the other random crashes.
After the crashes I must restore to a back up version to be able to use the SW.
How can I continue to put in all this work on my tree when I fear I will lose it all?!?!?!

Is anyone working on all these issues?

Biggest Pro: I have hundreds of ancestors in the system. And I don’t want to lose them.Biggest Con: Crashes frequently and I have to restore to a backup to use it again.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by C Maytum Nash,
Apr 3, 2015

Rating

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the apparently smooth running of the Ancestry site will be reflected in Family Tree Maker 3 (for Mac). This program has an ugly interface, with clunky operation and none of the intuitive functions of Mac-native software.

The software has a long-term problem of registering, which then blocks your use of a subscription to Ancestry. Worst of all, however, is the false promise of synchronisation with the Ancestry site: a breach of trades description legislation perhaps? I have changed computer and now cannot access my own data.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Lola Macintyre,
Mar 26, 2015

Rating

After having FTM 2014 for Mac for the past 7 months and having CONTINUAL problems, I am disconnecting it and getting out!

If you go to Ancestry Com and look at the Community Forum under “Family Tree Maker” you’ll know that I’m not alone. It’s almost impossible to find anyone who hasn’t encountered serious problems with syncing FTM to Ancestry, or just using the program in general.

IT IS AWFUL!

Biggest Pro: NothingBiggest Con: Will not sync, Creates a new backup tree every time you visit the site, flat out does NOT work

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Steve,
Mar 26, 2015

Rating

Lost sync several times, repeatedly asks to register (it is registered), differences between online version of tree and FTM3 version - pretty rubbish software. Would like to rate it a zero.

Biggest Pro: NoneBiggest Con: Differences between online version of tree and FTM3 version.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Dave Martin,
Mar 9, 2015

Rating

I have successfully used FTM windows versions for 15 years. I’ve compiled a complete family tree spanning over 300 years with FTM (windows). In 2014 I purchased a Mac and the mac version of FTM. My attempts to convert my files from PC to Mac have been a total waste of time and money. The File Migration Utility is totally unusable, as is FTM Support. Hopefully, I’ll find a Mac version of genealogy software that will read my windows version FTM files.

Biggest Pro: I have not found anything to recommend this program.Biggest Con: Simply refuses to convert files to Mac version of FTM. Unlike the earlier days of FTM, tech support is terrible.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Ron Irwin,
Mar 1, 2015

Rating

I had all my place names in the order of City, County, State, Country. If the location was only county I still used the commas so I would know it was not a city, like space, County, State, Country or if I had only the state it would be space, space, State, Country. FTM 3 will not allow this. All the FTM 2014 that I converted to MAC 3 kept the spaces and commas, but were considered to be “Unrecognized Places”. WHY DOES MAC 3 HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT? Why can’t it be just like its brother?
I, like many others, have had my synced tree on my computer unlinked from the on-line tree telling me it isn’t there. I’ve uploaded another and at some point it happens again and again. I had seven (7) trees on ancestry, but only one could be accessed. I phoned Ancestry, they would not remove the additional trees saying they belonged to someone else, not me. This was after having a LOOONG discussion with the 1st person and insisting on talking with her supervisor.
Just before this writing I was preparing for a genealogy trip and wanting to select certain geological areas, but can find no way to sort only those locations. Not sure if this could be done with FTM 2014.
I’ve had many other problems as well and have called for help and get little assistance other than them e-mailing me suggestions that aren’t ususally revelant to the problem.
Sorry, I’m rambling. I’ve have so many problems it has completely stressed me out. At 72 I don’t need stress. I’ve very seriously thought of looking for other software for my MAC. Or to use my 8 year old windows laptop. I don’t want to use a $1,200 laptop as a door stop.

Biggest Pro: Hard to find anyBiggest Con: Too Many to List

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by jo-ann hall,
Feb 15, 2015

Rating

FTM for Mac is a total scam! It works nothing like the PC program, and I have had nothing but problems. The reason I waited so long to purchase it was because I was told the earlier programs were not up to par. When I
did finally purchased it, I was assured there would be telephone help. Yes, there was help, but they were familiar with the program as I expected.

Have discovered the Leister Pro Reunion program is a dream in comparison. So purchased it and everything syncs with it. I just wish Ancestry would purchase that company and offer the experience their tech person has.
Instead, they keep using volunteers who really don’t know what they are doing as tech helpers. SAD state of affairs.

Biggest Pro: None at this time for Mac users!Biggest Con: Just about everything - the format is not even similar to what the PC program is.

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Thomas Wihlman,
Feb 11, 2015

Rating

I´ve tried earlier versions, and they had a lot of troubles. Now sice the lastest updates it works beautifully, including sync.

Biggest Pro: fast, the interfaceBiggest Con: takes a while to learn

Family Tree Maker for Mac Review by Linda,
Feb 10, 2015

Rating

Problems since December 2014….Will not sync…Says it has sync’d but does not sync.